Piston-bearing.



Patented Aug. 11, 19

Mfi/Vfa J. E. ERSKINE.

PISTON BEARING. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1913.

a WITNESSES g/M a! piston is also open.

T PaENT @FFJUOE.

JAMES E. ERSKINE, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR CF ONE-HALF T0ALFRED ISENBERG, 0F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

PISTON-BEARING.

Monroe.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. it'll, 19142.

Application filed November 21, 1913. Serial No. 802,279.

To all whom it may concern:

crank shaft, so arranged as to permit a universal movement of the pistonwith respect to the rod, and a thorough lubrication of the bearing, andof the piston.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of a piston provided with theimproved bearing, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the piston, and,Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the piston is a hollow bodyof approximately cylindrical shape atits ends, as indicated at 1 and 2,and reduced annularly intermediate its ends, as shown at 3.

At each of its. ends, the piston is provided with external annulargrooves 5, for receiv ing the usual packing rings, and the outer end of,the piston is closed, as shown at (3, the inner end being open, asindicated at 7 At the reduced portion 3 a socket or hearing 7 isprovided, of approximately spherical form toward the open'end, and thatend of the bearing toward the open end f the The piston rod is ofH-shape, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3, comprising parallellaterally spaced cross members 8, and a transverse central connectingweb At its inner end the said rod is provided with a ball or hollowsphere 10, the said ball or sphere fitting the bearing 7, beforementioned, and a nut 11 is provided for holding the ball in the bearing,the said nut being in the form of a sleeve shaped internally to fit thehall, and threaded externallyto engage a threaded portion 12 of thehearing.

it will be noted that the inner end of the nut is reduced to form anannular shoulder 13 facing toward the open end of the piston, and a setscrew 14; is threaded through the piston at the reduced portion, forlooking the nut from accidental release. The inner end of the set screwengages the nut on the inner side of the shoulder 13, and the said screwis prevented in turn from aocidental release, by means of the platespring 15.

The spring bears intermediate its ends against the head of the setscrew, and one end of the spring is secured to the piston by means of ascrew 16 or the like. The spring is within the peripheral surface of thepiston, so that it does not interfere with the free movement of thepiston in the cylinder (not shown). The interior of the piston at theouter end thereof is provided with a transverse web 17, the said webextending from the closed end 6 of the piston to the wall of the bearing7, and the said web acts to strengthen and reinforce the bearing wall.

It will be noticed that, the wall of the piston at the reduced portion 3is provided with one or more transverse openings 18, leading from thechambered portion or the interior of the piston to the external surfacethereof, and other openings 19 are provided leading from the bearing 7to the said chaInbored portion of the piston.

The ball. or sphere 10 is also provided with openings 20 in its wall,and the said ball is designed to receive a lubricant to thoroughlylubricate not only the bearing surface hetwcen the bearing 7 and theball, but to also lubricate the exterior of the piston, by way of theopenings 18 and 19.

Some of the openings 20 are adjacent to the nut 11, o icning between thebearing surface of the nut and the exterior of the ball. laibricantissupplied to the interior of the ball by means of a pipe 21, .which maylead from any suitable source of supply, to the interior of the ball.The pipe is connected to a threaded section of pipe engaging the all ofthe ball, by means of a union 23, and the pipe is arranged between thecross members 8 of the piston rod, on one faceof the web 9.

The opening in the ball is at the junction of the piston rod therewith,and the pipe lies along the adjacent fare of the web 9, where it willnot interfere with the movement of the rriston or rod. That end of thepiston rod remote from the ball is connected to the crank shaft in anysuitable or desired manner.

It will be evident from the description, that there will be anexceptionally free movement between the. piston and the rod, the openingor bore 24; of the lock nut 11 being large enough to permit considerableangular movement of the rod before it will engage the inner surface ofthe nut. The piston is easil disengaged from the rod when desired,merely by releasing the set screw, until the point thereof no longer ongages the shoulder 13. When this is done the nut '11 may be turned outpermitting the free withdrawal of the ball.

- I claim:

'1. In combination, a piston having its ends cylindrical externally andprovided with annular packing grooves. and being reduced intermediateits ends, said pis ton being hollow and having its outer end closed andits inner end open, and having a bearing at approximately its center atthe reduced portion, a-piston rod having a hollow ball at one end forengaging the hearing of the piston, said bearing bein shaped toreceivethe ball at the open end of thepiston and being shaped to' fitthe ball toward the closed end of the piston, a lock nut of annular formshaped internally to fit the ball and threaded externally, the bearinghaving a threaded portion toward the open end of the piston forengagement by the nut, said nut having an annular shoulder at the endremote from the bearing, a set screw threaded through the piston at thereduced portion and engaging the shoulder, to lock the nut in place, anda spring engaging the set screw to prevent displacement thereof,

-the piston wall and the bearing wall having openings, and the ballhaving openings and being designed to hold a lubricant to lubricatelhehearing and the piston through the openings, and means for vsupplyinga lubri-- rant to the ball.

2. In combination, a piston reduced annularly intermediate its eyes andhaving an internal. hearing at the reduced portion, a piston rodprovided with a hollow ball fitting the bearing, the piston beinginternally threaded at the inner end ofthe bearing and the said bearingbeing of a diameter at its inner end to permit the insertion and removalof the ball, an annular lock nut engaging the threaded portion ofthepiston and shaped on its inner surface to fit the ball, said ball beingadapted to contain a lubricant,and the ball the bearing wall and thepiston wall having openings for permitting the passage of the lubricantfrom the ball to the exterior thereof and to th-zinterior and exteriorof the piston, and means For locking the out from removal, said meanscomprising a set screw threaded through the piston at the reducedportion and engaging the nut, a lock for preventing accidental movementof the set screw, and means for supplying a lubricant to the ball.

3. In combination, a piston reduced an nularl'y intermediate its endsand having an internal bearing wat the reduced portioma piston rodprovided with a hollow ball fitting the bearing, the piston beinginternally threaded at the inner endof the bearing and the said bearingbeing of a diameter at its inner, end to permit the insertion andremoval of the ball, an annular lock nut engaging the threaded portionof the piston and shaped on its inner surface to fit the ball,said'ball-being adapted to contain a luhri :ant, and the ball thebearing wall and the piston wall having openings for permitting thepassage of the lubricant fro-m'the ball to the exterior thereof and tothe interior and exterior-of the piston, means for locking the nut fromremoval, and means for supplying lubricant to the ball.

4. In combination, a piston reduced annularly intermediate its ends andhaving an internal hearing at the reduced portion, a piston rod providedwith a hollow ball fitting the bearing, the piston being internal-1ythreaded at the inner end of the bearing and the said bearing being of adiameter at its inner end to permit the insertion and removal of theball, an annular lock nut engaging the threaded portion of the pistonand shaped on its inner surface to fit the ball,'said ball being adaptedto contain .a lubricant, and the ball the bearing Wall and the pistonwall having openings for permitting the passage of the lubricant fromthe ball to the exterior thereof and to the interior and exterior of thepiston, and means for supplying lubricant to the ball.

5-. In con'ibination, a piston reduced annularly intermediate its endsand having an internal hearing at the reduced porti0n,,a piston rodprovided with a hollow ball fitting the bearing, means for holding theball in thebcaring, said ball being adapted to contain a lubricant andhaving openings for permitting the passage of the lubricant from theball, the bear ng wall having openings adapted to register with sundryof the openings of the ball to permit the passage of the lubricant tothe interior of the piston, and the piston having openings at thereduced portion to permit the passage of the lubricant to the exteriorthereof.

6. In combination, a piston having its inner end open, and having aninternal ball bearing intermediate its ends and opening toward the innerend ofthe piston, a piston ios having a ball fitting the bearing andadapted to contain a lubricant, and having openings for permitting thepassage of the lubricant from the ball, the bearing wall having openingsthe the piston having openings ing ring encircling the roti and havingfor permitting the passage of the lubricant, threaded engagement With apiston and 10 and means for supplying the lubricant t0 forming the othersection of the bearingto the ball. connect the piston rod to the piston.

T. In combination a piston having one JAMES E. ERSKINE. end open andhaving an integral bearing. \Vitnesses: section Withiltth piston, apiston rod hav- G. E. Bonn,

ing a ball received in the hearing and a lock- I A. J. EGELI'IOFF;

